Portland Homeless Crisis: Second Street Response Team Added

PORTLAND, OR — Last month, Portland started deploying a new team to respond to non-emergency calls to 911. The Street Response Team – consisting of a firefighter/EMT, a mental health crisis responded, and two peer support specialists – was intended to free up other first responders to be able to react to other emergencies.

The team was assigned 13 square miles within the city's East Precinct.

At a city council meeting last month, the team and their work received rave reviews.

Live in Portland? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone.

Now, a second team is being added.

The two teams will provide seven-day coverage for the city. One team will work Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. while the second team will work Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. through 2:30 a.m.

Their coverage area is also being expanded so that they can respond to any call within the 36 square miles patrolled by the East Precinct.

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who helped create the program and oversees it, hailed the expansion.

"This is the next step towards Citywide expansion as we continue to thoughtfully grow PSR to provide a compassionate first response to people in crisis on our streets, which will also free up resources for our police," she said.

Portland Police Chief Cuck Lovell said that the program has helped the police bureau stay focused.

"This is a valuable public safety partnership," he said.